The Tasting Jars:
The tasting jars is part of the sensorial work of the classroom and focusing on the gustatory sense which is also known as the sense of taste. The children have 3 jars filled with sweet, sour and salty liquid that they need to match to a control. Through this work the children have to taste, identify and then match the liquids to the controls.
Montessori wanted children to experience the world in a concrete way and one of these methods was to bring the world into the classroom for the children to experience. She called it ‘giving the keys of the world’ to the children. The tasting jars is a concrete way to experience different tastes. Many of the children in the class had never experienced ‘sour’ before the tasting jars. Now if we discuss sour or read books that mention ‘sour’ these children can identify and recall that taste sensation.
The children enjoy working in pairs to identify the tastes.Needless to say, it is the sweet jars that need refilling the most.!
